J. Bennett Guess
@jbennettguess.bsky.social
Executive Director, ACLU of Ohio. UCC clergy. Opinions my own. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly.
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Anyone who impugns the vitality of Downtown Cleveland has obviously never been here.
Instead, it’s more likely just a pandering politician unleashing tired, fear-based racist tropes against the proudly diverse people of one of this nation’s greatest cities.
Instead, it’s more likely just a pandering politician unleashing tired, fear-based racist tropes against the proudly diverse people of one of this nation’s greatest cities.
September 19, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Anyone who impugns the vitality of Downtown Cleveland has obviously never been here.
Instead, it’s more likely just a pandering politician unleashing tired, fear-based racist tropes against the proudly diverse people of one of this nation’s greatest cities.
Instead, it’s more likely just a pandering politician unleashing tired, fear-based racist tropes against the proudly diverse people of one of this nation’s greatest cities.
"Today’s profoundly disappointing ruling upholds Tennessee’s discriminatory, politically motivated law, which was passed based on junk science and stereotypes about how boys and girls should look and act.”
🚨🚨Our response to SCOTUS upholding Tennessee's ban on transgender healthcare for minors:
"Today’s profoundly disappointing ruling upholds Tennessee’s discriminatory, politically motivated law, which was passed based on junk science and stereotypes about how boys and girls should look and act. 🧵
"Today’s profoundly disappointing ruling upholds Tennessee’s discriminatory, politically motivated law, which was passed based on junk science and stereotypes about how boys and girls should look and act. 🧵
June 18, 2025 at 7:19 PM
"Today’s profoundly disappointing ruling upholds Tennessee’s discriminatory, politically motivated law, which was passed based on junk science and stereotypes about how boys and girls should look and act.”
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Yes, Rainbow People of Ohio, our marriages and much more are under serious attack
‘This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.’
✏️ @jbennettguess.bsky.social of @acluohio.bsky.social
‘This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.’
✏️ @jbennettguess.bsky.social of @acluohio.bsky.social
Yes, Rainbow People of Ohio, our marriages and much more are under serious attack
'This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.'
thebuckeyeflame.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Yes, Rainbow People of Ohio, our marriages and much more are under serious attack
‘This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.’
✏️ @jbennettguess.bsky.social of @acluohio.bsky.social
‘This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.’
✏️ @jbennettguess.bsky.social of @acluohio.bsky.social
Happy Pride, Columbus!
June 14, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Happy Pride, Columbus!
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
🌟New piece in @thebuckeyeflame.com from our Executive Director @jbennettguess.bsky.social on the stakes of this #PRIDE season. 🌈🏳️⚧️
J. Bennett Guess: "They don’t need to change public opinion (and wouldn’t be successful if they tried); they just need to manipulate the levers of government, especially the makeup of the judiciary, to take away people’s popularly enjoyed freedoms."
Yes, Rainbow People of Ohio, our marriages and much more are under serious attack
'This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.'
thebuckeyeflame.com
June 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
🌟New piece in @thebuckeyeflame.com from our Executive Director @jbennettguess.bsky.social on the stakes of this #PRIDE season. 🌈🏳️⚧️
J. Bennett Guess: "They don’t need to change public opinion (and wouldn’t be successful if they tried); they just need to manipulate the levers of government, especially the makeup of the judiciary, to take away people’s popularly enjoyed freedoms."
Yes, Rainbow People of Ohio, our marriages and much more are under serious attack
'This Pride Season, in 2025, our LGBTQ+ community in Ohio needs something akin to a Stonewall brick to our collective consciousness.'
thebuckeyeflame.com
June 13, 2025 at 1:13 PM
J. Bennett Guess: "They don’t need to change public opinion (and wouldn’t be successful if they tried); they just need to manipulate the levers of government, especially the makeup of the judiciary, to take away people’s popularly enjoyed freedoms."
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Congress is trying to pass a bill they’re calling “big” and “beautiful.”
It will cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
The working class must say NO to this bill.
It will cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
The working class must say NO to this bill.
May 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Congress is trying to pass a bill they’re calling “big” and “beautiful.”
It will cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
The working class must say NO to this bill.
It will cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
The working class must say NO to this bill.
“It’s a ‘joke’ until it isn’t because it never was.”
It’s a “joke” until it isn’t because it never was.
TikTok video by Da’Vion Tatum
www.tiktok.com
May 7, 2025 at 2:40 PM
“It’s a ‘joke’ until it isn’t because it never was.”
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Pope Francis and the ACLU had overlapping efforts on certain issues, reinforcing the need to preserve the rights and dignity of ALL people, and to find common ground with unlikely allies on key civil liberties topics. 🧵
www.acluohio.org/en/news/pope...
www.acluohio.org/en/news/pope...
Pope Francis on Key ACLU Issues
Pope Francis was a clear and consistent voice on several issues the ACLU of Ohio champions.
www.acluohio.org
April 23, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Pope Francis and the ACLU had overlapping efforts on certain issues, reinforcing the need to preserve the rights and dignity of ALL people, and to find common ground with unlikely allies on key civil liberties topics. 🧵
www.acluohio.org/en/news/pope...
www.acluohio.org/en/news/pope...
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Places of worship are meant to be spaces for faith, hope, and spirituality – these sensitive locations should not be symbols of fear, deportation, or surveillance.
We cannot allow the Trump administration to terrorize Ohio communities. www.acluohio.org/en/publicati...
We cannot allow the Trump administration to terrorize Ohio communities. www.acluohio.org/en/publicati...
April 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Places of worship are meant to be spaces for faith, hope, and spirituality – these sensitive locations should not be symbols of fear, deportation, or surveillance.
We cannot allow the Trump administration to terrorize Ohio communities. www.acluohio.org/en/publicati...
We cannot allow the Trump administration to terrorize Ohio communities. www.acluohio.org/en/publicati...
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
🤩We are so proud to be hosting Drag, Dissent, and Democracy -- featuring amazing co-hosts Nina West and Virginia West!
🪩💃🏽Join us in Columbus on May 29 for an evening of performances, storytelling, and community.
🎟️⬇️TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
action.aclu.org/event/drag-d...
🪩💃🏽Join us in Columbus on May 29 for an evening of performances, storytelling, and community.
🎟️⬇️TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
action.aclu.org/event/drag-d...
April 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
🤩We are so proud to be hosting Drag, Dissent, and Democracy -- featuring amazing co-hosts Nina West and Virginia West!
🪩💃🏽Join us in Columbus on May 29 for an evening of performances, storytelling, and community.
🎟️⬇️TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
action.aclu.org/event/drag-d...
🪩💃🏽Join us in Columbus on May 29 for an evening of performances, storytelling, and community.
🎟️⬇️TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
action.aclu.org/event/drag-d...
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
"SB 1 is clearly unconstitutional and will lead to the suppression of free speech and individual liberties. The ACLU of Ohio remains steadfast in our commitment to First Amendment rights, and we stand prepared to enforce them." --@jbennettguess.bsky.social 👏🏼
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025...
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025...
Senate Bill 1 suppresses free speech, undermining our democracy: J. Bennett Guess
Senate Bill 1 is clearly unconstitutional and, until repealed or overturned, will lead to the suppression of free speech and individual liberties. The ACLU of Ohio remains steadfast in our commitment ...
www.cleveland.com
April 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
"SB 1 is clearly unconstitutional and will lead to the suppression of free speech and individual liberties. The ACLU of Ohio remains steadfast in our commitment to First Amendment rights, and we stand prepared to enforce them." --@jbennettguess.bsky.social 👏🏼
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025...
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025...
Three citizens deported. One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.
One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Three U.S. citizens, ages 2, 4 and 7, swiftly deported from Louisiana
The cases have renewed concerns that the Trump administration’s expedited deportations are violating the rights of both citizens and noncitizens.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Three citizens deported. One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.
“Hard stories of how progress is initiated and sustained, often against entrenched systems and great societal prejudices, is the substance of our American strength… teaching the power of how everyday people participate in shaping their own destinies, the very essence of democracy.”
Senate Bill 1 suppresses free speech, undermining our democracy: J. Bennett Guess
Senate Bill 1 is clearly unconstitutional and, until repealed or overturned, will lead to the suppression of free speech and individual liberties. The ACLU of Ohio remains steadfast in our commitment ...
www.cleveland.com
April 25, 2025 at 10:36 PM
“Hard stories of how progress is initiated and sustained, often against entrenched systems and great societal prejudices, is the substance of our American strength… teaching the power of how everyday people participate in shaping their own destinies, the very essence of democracy.”
The people's power might just be the last element of government available to us.
There's never been a more urgent moment to bear witness, to speak truth before it's too late.
🗣️Wise words from our Executive Director @jbennettguess.bsky.social
🗣️Wise words from our Executive Director @jbennettguess.bsky.social
April 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The people's power might just be the last element of government available to us.
I found this inspiring Syrian-Canadian chocolatier called PeacebyChocolate, refugees from Syria who found welcome in Canada. I bought a box of chocolate bars to hand out to Cleveland friends and talk about why our U.S.-Canadian alliance and friendship must never be undermined. #strongandfree 🇨🇦
March 30, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I found this inspiring Syrian-Canadian chocolatier called PeacebyChocolate, refugees from Syria who found welcome in Canada. I bought a box of chocolate bars to hand out to Cleveland friends and talk about why our U.S.-Canadian alliance and friendship must never be undermined. #strongandfree 🇨🇦
NEW REPORT from @acluohio.bsky.social: The fifth edition of our Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline report is live.
📰NEW REPORT: The fifth edition of our Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline report is live.
We now have 10 years' worth of robust legislative data to assess trends about the role and responsibility of the Ohio General Assembly in maintaining our state's mass incarceration crisis.
We now have 10 years' worth of robust legislative data to assess trends about the role and responsibility of the Ohio General Assembly in maintaining our state's mass incarceration crisis.
March 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
NEW REPORT from @acluohio.bsky.social: The fifth edition of our Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline report is live.
Some Cleveland love and solidarity from the south shore of Lake Erie.
March 25, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Some Cleveland love and solidarity from the south shore of Lake Erie.
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
Imagine how Republicans would have reacted last year if Kamala accidentally texted a reporter the administration’s war plans.
March 25, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Imagine how Republicans would have reacted last year if Kamala accidentally texted a reporter the administration’s war plans.
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
We will fight every whitewashing of racial and social injustice with every fiber of our being.
Statement from ACLU of Ohio Executive Director @jbennettguess.bsky.social regarding the attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
February 28, 2025 at 12:18 AM
We will fight every whitewashing of racial and social injustice with every fiber of our being.
The current vehement attacks on DEI are a total and complete erasure of the vast solidarity movement we witnessed so powerfully in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Nothing less.
February 28, 2025 at 12:08 AM
The current vehement attacks on DEI are a total and complete erasure of the vast solidarity movement we witnessed so powerfully in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Nothing less.
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
🖤Black history matters.
❤️Black stories matter.
🤎Black voices matter.
www.acluohio.org/en/news/high...
❤️Black stories matter.
🤎Black voices matter.
www.acluohio.org/en/news/high...
Highlighting Banned Books by Black Authors for Black History Month
For Black History Month, the ACLU of Ohio shares a list of ten books that have been banned in the U.S. by Black authors.
www.acluohio.org
February 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
🖤Black history matters.
❤️Black stories matter.
🤎Black voices matter.
www.acluohio.org/en/news/high...
❤️Black stories matter.
🤎Black voices matter.
www.acluohio.org/en/news/high...
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
SB 1 dismantles a highly successful model of higher education & replaces it with a volatile system. It is a solution in search of a problem, hurting half a million students attending Ohio colleges in addition to faculty members at every public university. www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
Senate bill to ban DEI and faculty strikes is a solution in search of a problem | Opinion
I have never, in my years in education, encountered a professor trying to indoctrinate students
www.cincinnati.com
February 26, 2025 at 1:34 PM
SB 1 dismantles a highly successful model of higher education & replaces it with a volatile system. It is a solution in search of a problem, hurting half a million students attending Ohio colleges in addition to faculty members at every public university. www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
Reposted by J. Bennett Guess
By attacking DEI programs that are aimed at addressing systemic racism, Trump has made his goals clear: He wants to take us back in time.
February 18, 2025 at 9:32 PM
By attacking DEI programs that are aimed at addressing systemic racism, Trump has made his goals clear: He wants to take us back in time.